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Feb 24, 2006 5:32 pm US/Eastern
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Stem Cell Research Budget Approved In Maryland
TOM STUCKEY
ANNAPOLIS, Md (AP) ―
Two House committees approved legislation Friday to provide $25 million a year in state funds for stem cell research, with a high priority given to research on cells extracted from human embryos.
Approval by the House Health and Governmental Operations Committee and the Appropriations Committee was the first step in what is likely to be a protracted and contentious debate in the legislature over one of the most emotional issues of the 2006 General Assembly session.
House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, said the bill will be brought before the House for debate next week.
Funding for embryonic stem cell research is opposed by many lawmakers because embryos are destroyed when the stem cells are extracted. They want to limit state aid to research on stem cells that are taken from adults.
Bills also have been introduced in the state Senate, where opponents say they will mount a filibuster to prevent a vote if the issue comes out of committee.
Sen. Paula Hollinger, D-Baltimore County, chairwoman of one of the two committees that will consider the bill in the Senate, said leaders from the two houses have been working together and are taking similar approaches to funding stem cell research.
Gov. Robert Ehrlich has taken a different approach, setting aside $20 million in next year's budget that could be used for research on either adult or embryonic cells. But the budget provides no guidance on how the money would be spent, leaving those decisions to be made by a state economic development commission.
Supporters of embryonic stem cell research say it holds the promise of finding cures for intractable diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes and could lead to ways to regenerate nerves and restore movement to people paralyzed by spinal cord injuries.
President Bush has severely limited use of federal money for research on embryonic cells, and several states have stepped up to fill the gap with state research funds.
The bill approved by the committee prohibits human cloning. It allows research to be done only on embryos no longer needed for fertility treatments that would otherwise be destroyed.
The bill was amended by the committee to allow use of the money for research on adult stem cells, but the priority remains on embryonic stem cell research, and the change did not mollify opponents on the committee.
The vote in the Health and Government Operations Committee was preceded by an emotional but restrained debate, with both sides acknowledging that stem cell research is a difficult issue.
"This has not been an easy decision for me," said Delegate Eric Bromwell, D-Baltimore County. But he said he had been urged to vote for the bill by people who are hoping for cures for their diseases.
"What made the decision for me is that I have the opportunity to provide hope," Bromwell said.
Delegate Marilyn Goldwater, D-Montgomery, told committee members she was diagnosed with blood cancer six years ago and, even though she was told she would probably die within two years, is living a normal life. Her hope is that stem cell research "will create something that will prolong my life," she told her colleagues.
Delegate Joseph Boteler, R-Baltimore County, said the state should be spending its money on adult stem cell research because it is helping cure diseases while embryonic stem cell research has not yielded any results.
"It may be that embryonic stem cells don't work out," Delegate Kumar Barve, D-Montgomery, responded. But he said the only way to find out is to give scientists the money they need to conduct their research.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)